FGV Earth Conducts Research on Climate Disasters and Municipal Public Policies

The third and final day of the FGV Earth launch was marked by the presentation of the research project CliMune – Climate Municipalities Evidence, an initiative aimed at strengthening the capacity of Brazilian municipalities to respond to the growing challenges posed by climate disasters. At a decisive moment for the formulation of public policies focused on adaptation and resilience, the study seeks to address structural and institutional gaps that hinder local climate action.

The study was presented by FGV Earth researcher Mario Aquino, who highlighted the increasing frequency of extreme climate events in Brazil—such as floods, droughts, and landslides—that directly impact the lives of millions of people.

“Despite this, most of Brazil’s 5,570 municipalities remain structurally unprepared to deal with these risks. Only 7% have adopted any formal climate policy, and few possess the institutional capacity to integrate scientific evidence into government planning,” Aquino explained.

According to the researcher, the situation is even more critical among small municipalities, which account for over 87% of the total. With limited financial and human resources, and fragmented responsibilities across different levels of government, these localities face significant challenges in implementing effective and coordinated responses to natural disasters.

To address these gaps, the CliMune research adopts a multi-method design, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. A total of 20 municipalities across 10 Brazilian states were selected, focusing on geographic and institutional diversity. Comparative analysis between municipalities affected and unaffected by climate disasters allows for the identification of patterns and barriers to evidence-based policy adoption.

In addition to semi-structured interviews with public managers and policymakers, the study—funded by the British Academy and the São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp)—includes surveys and experiments to investigate preferences and obstacles to data use in decision-making.

Among the key expected outcomes of the research are the development of practical public policy tools, such as actionable recommendations, training materials, and scalable solutions tailored especially to small municipalities. The initiative also aims to strengthen the culture of evidence use in municipal climate governance, offering concrete strategies to institutionalize the use of data and research in policy formulation.

Furthermore, the research intends to contribute to global knowledge transfer by systematizing best practices applicable to developing countries facing similar climate vulnerabilities and institutional limitations.

Following the research presentation, the event hosted two panel discussions. The first provided an overview of extreme climate events, featuring a presentation by researcher Ibrahim Abu Abdulai on how Ghana is addressing climate change challenges.

The second panel discussed the challenges of using evidence in climate policy formulation, bringing together experts in data science and environmental studies to explore Brazil’s difficulties in managing data on natural disasters and climate.

According to FGV Earth coordinator José Antônio Puppim, the conclusion of the FGV Earth launch reaffirmed Fundação Getulio Vargas’s commitment to promoting evidence-based solutions to tackle the climate crisis—especially at the local level, where impacts are more immediate and capacities more limited.

Learn more at the FGV Earth website.